Communion: He set His face like
flint

This week six words words from Isaiah have been stuck in my mind. Six
simple words that say so much. "He set His face like flint"

These
words come from Isaiah 50:6-7. It says, "I offered my back to those who
beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my
face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I
will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I
know I will not be put to shame."

These are the words prophesied
some 700 years beforehand. They talk of our glorious Savior who suffered
greatly, enduring scorn and shame on our behalf.

It is these
words that the disciple Luke recalled when he wrote his gospel. "As the
time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set
out for Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51).

It was the Father’s will for His
Son to suffer and die for the sins of mankind. Jesus knew this all too
well, and He still went through with it. Let me say that again. Jesus
knew exactly what you and I were going to cost him—his very life. He
knew that it was going to be messy and painful, yet he followed the path
marked out for him towards Jerusalem, setting his face like flint.

Flint is a very hard type of sedimentary rock. When struck against
steel, a flint edge produces sparks to start a fire. Setting your face
like flint implies that you’re expecting some opposition, to stand
strong in the face of adversity. To set your face like flint means to
regard these difficulties as worthwhile when you consider what they will
lead you to.

When I learned the purpose of flint, I began to
realize what these six words mean: It means having the resolve to
achieve the Father's eternal purposes, no matter what the personal cost.

Jesus had countless opportunities to abandon the task He was sent to
complete. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked for it to be taken,
but yet still surrendered His will. He was unwavering with every step He
took. When He told his disciples of the suffering He was going to endure
in Jerusalem, they pleaded with him to choose an easier path, but He did
not listen.

Jesus was steadfast. Jesus was resolute. Jesus was
determined in achieving His purpose until He said, “It is finished”.

You know, when Jesus set His face like flint, He had you in mind. He
knew what He would suffer. But He knew you were worth it. Never ever
forget how much Jesus loved you. Never forget how much Jesus loves you.
He held nothing back and He set His face like flint for you.